The Bringer of Pestilence
by Razell
Summary: A short tribute to an under-appreciated Great Old One.


The Bringer of Pestilence

August, 1346- The Mongol warriors watched as a burning object fell, seemingly from Heaven itself, near the encampment besieging Caffa. It was a good omen, a symbol of victory against the trading town that resisted them. The gods had shown their light upon the invaders...

Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg pulled himself painfully from the burning pit of molten glass, his many clawed limbs scrambling for purchase, his massive front claws pulling his heavy body from the pit. He had floated through space for so long,_ too_ long... Shaggai was gone, his home was gone. The accursed harbinger, Ghroth, had shone it's killing red light upon the surface of that world, slaying the Shan and awakening _The Worm That Gnaws in The Night_. Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg had fought valiantly to preserve his world, but failed, and had been flung into space as the world imploded beneath the power of The Worm. He stood upon his many, spider-like legs, relishing the feeling of solid ground beneath his claws, and straightened his three pairs of barbed, ragged wings. Thousand of eyes peered out from between feelers in a walnut-shaped head, his venom dripping from his mandibles, sizzling the warm ground beneath. A new world, a new home.

_Home_.

The few who saw the terrible dragon fly over head knew that this was no divine harbinger of victory. The even fewer who lived long enough to tell of it before being felled by the plague that followed rambled about a giant, winged scorpion. Within days everyone in the camp had contracted the plague, and soon, so had everyone in the besieged town.

Swarms of small insects, attracted by some scent, some pheromone, followed in Baoht Z'uqq-Mogg's wake. He barely noticed them, he was intoxicated by his new world, so warm, so pleasant. There were abundant swamps here, he could feel it. Places to rest, to heal his battle-wounds...

The Italian merchants of Caffa fled in their ships, bringing with them the fleas and rats that carried the Black Death, guiding it to new ports. The plague spread like wildfire, carried by vermin and fear. Kings and Churches tried to still the tide of death, and failed. People blamed Jews, Romany, paupers, lepers and foreigners, claiming they had poisoned their waters or placed curses upon them, and many were claimed by mob-violence and the disease of hate before they could be claimed by The Black Death. By 1350, over a million people had died, half of Europe was dead, society was in tatters and fear ruled over all.

Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg was mildly curious about these strange beings, he probed them with his mind, learning about them... These primitive creatures, these humans, seemed to be dying out. Some plague was ravaging them. But that was not his concern. Other beings, similar to the humans, yet different, came forth to feed on the dead and offer up praise to him. These beings, these... Ghouls, called him _The Provider_. They believed that he caused the deaths that fed them so well. He welcomed their praise, but he was tired, and sought a place to rest...

Finally, a land of steaming jungles lay before him, thick swampland beckoned with it's warmth and comfort. The Great Old One settled into deep, warm mud, and slept, dreaming. A plague raged across Africa, but he knew it not...

1351- The Black Death abated, and those who still lived gave thanks to God for their deliverance.

17th century- A small band of survivors from Shaggai landed in the Severn Valley, England. Trapped on earth, they set about trying to find a way to escape, and contacted Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, who, sadly, could not help them.

1768- One of these Shan inspired playwright Benevento Chieti Bordighera to create his masterpiece _Massa di Requiem per Shuggay_, detailing the history of Shaggai and the existence of Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg.

1769-_ Massa di Requiem per Shuggay_ was banned by the Catholic Church, and all copies ordered destroyed. Despite their best efforts, a few copies escaped the flames...

1770- Benevento Chieti Bordighera was ordered executed by Pope Clement XIV and burned alive for heresy.

1801- The Black Death ravaged the Ottoman Empire

1829-1836- The Black Death re-emerged in North Africa

1855-1950- The Black Death again ravaged the world.

1899-1923- Cholera ravaged Africa, Asia and Europe

1900-1904- The Black Death struck San Francisco, United States.

1910-1912- The Black Death Struck China.

1918- Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg stirred in his sleep, and the Spanish Influenza arose to claim 21.6 million lives. As the pandemic ravaged the world, Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg slept on, unaware...

1976- Zaire, Africa. A schoolteacher fell ill with a disease that would become known as _Ebola_...

1980- Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg's swarm infected chimpanzees with a virus that would later become known as_ AIDS_. Those who suffer from the illness are _still_ despised and mistreated by a fearful world infected with the disease of fear and hate...

2009- Meningitis and Cholera ravaged Africa as Influenza swept across the world.

2012- Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg awoke. His wounds had finally healed, and his strength returned. The Bringer of Pestilence rose from the stagnant water of his swamp, shaking the mud from his wings, and prepared to take flight...

_Notes_:

Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg did not_ create_ these plagues, they were already there, his presence just _amplified_ them. His venom, flesh and blood soak up disease like a sponge and the swarms drawn to him carry it. He is _not_ evil, and has no feelings toward humanity one way or the other, he is simply a carrier of plagues whose very presence brings death. He just wants a home and a place to rest. Ghouls, who are immune to most diseases, worship him as _The Great Provider _for the copious amounts of dead he leaves in his wake, upon which they feed. He accepts their gratitude, but has no control over his power.

The diseases of hate and fear have taken far more human lives than any other epidemic in the history of the earth.

_Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg_

The Bringer of Pestilence

The Father of Pestilence

The Great Provider

Alignment- True Neutral

Class- Lesser Great Old One, God of Ghouls, Insects, Plague and Pestilence

Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg was originally one of the gods of The Insects From Shaggai, until Shaggai was destroyed. Searching for a new home, and a place to rest and recover from his wounds, he finally fell to Earth, bringing with him death. He appears as a giant scorpion with six spiny wings, and a bulbous head with thousands of eyes interspersed with sensory tendrils and several pairs of mandibles that constantly drip poison...

While _Pope Clement XIV_ was real, Benevento Chieti Bordighera was_ not_. I don't know if that particular Pope had anyone executed or not, but he was innocent of Bordighera's blood, as he never existed in first place. I feel it necessary to point this out as I don't want to condemn a _real_ man for a_ fictional_ act.

_The Black Death_ referred to here is specifically _The Bubonic Plague. _The Bubonic Plague existed long before 1346...

_Baoht Z'uqqa-Mogg, Benevento Chieti Bordighera_ and _Massa di Requiem per Shuggay_ belong to Chaosium, I don't know who, exactly, created them.

_The Insects from Shaggai, Ghroth the Harbinger_ and _The Worm That Gnaws in The Night_ were created by Ramsey Campbell.


End file.
